Children in England are getting shorter, more obese and sicker because of poor diets, food insecurity and poverty, health experts warn.
A new report, titled A Generation Neglected: Reversing the decline in children’s health in England, reveals that the height of five-year olds has been falling since 2013 with UK children shorter than those in nearly all other high-income countries.
Published by The Food Foundation, the study found that obesity among 10-11 year olds has increased by 30% since 2006, with one in five children living with obesity by the time they leave primary school.
Type 2 diabetes in young people has tripled since 2012 and babies born today will enjoy a year less good health than babies born a decade ago.
Commenting on the report, Jamie Oliver, celebrity chef and food campaigner, said: ‘Decades of government neglect has meant kids are suffering from more obesity-related illnesses, leading to average heights shrinking and living shorter lives – they’re not being given the chance to be happy, healthy people. And they deserve so much more than that.’
